Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The IX. Chapter.

[ A] HE answered me then and saide: Mea¦sure thou the tyme diligenly in it self, whan thou seist that one parte of the tokens come to passe, which I haue tolde y^e before: so shalt thou vnderstonde, that it is the very same tyme, wherin the Hyest wil be¦gynne to vysit the worlde, which he made. And whā there shalbe sene earthquake and vproure of the people in the worlde, then shalt thou well vnderstonde, that the most hyest spake of those thinges, from the dayes that were before the, euen from the begyn∣nynge.

For like as all that is made in the worl∣de, hath a begynnynge and ende, and the en∣de is manyfest: Euen so the tymes also of the Hyest haue playne begynnynges in won∣ders and signes, and the ende in workynge and in tokens. And euery one that shalbe sa∣ued, and shall be able to escape by his wor∣kes & by faith (wherin ye haue beleued) shall be preserued from the saide parels, and shal se my sauioure in my londe and within my borders, for I haue halowed me from the worlde. Then shall they be in carefulnesse, which now haue abused my waies: and they that haue cast them out despytefully, shall dwell in paynes.

[ B] For soch as in their life haue receaued be¦nefites, and haue not knowne me, and they that haue abhorred my lawe, whyle they had yet fredome, and whan they had yet o∣pen rowme of amendemēt and conuersion, & vnderstode not, but despysed it: y^e same must knowe it after death in payne. And therfore be thou nomore carefull, how the vngodly shalbe punyshed, & how the righteous shal∣be saued, and whose the worlde is, and for whom the worlde, and whan it is. Then an¦swered I and sayde:* 1.1 I haue talked before & now I speake, and wyl speake also herafter, that there be many moo of them which pe∣rish, then shal be saued, like as the floude is greater then the droppes.

And he answered me, sayenge: like as the felde is, so is also the sede: as the floures be, so are the colours also: soch as the workman is, soch is also y^e worke: and as the huszband man is himself, so is his huszbandrye also, for it was the tyme of the worlde. And whan I prepared for them that are now, or euer the worlde was made, wher in they shulde dwel then was there no man that withstode me. Now whan euery one was, and the maker [ C] also in the worlde which is now prepared, and the moneth that ceaseth not, and the lawe which is vnsearcheable, their maners were corrupte. So I considered the worlde, and beholde, there was parell, because of y^e thoughtes that were come in to it. And I sawe, and spared thē greatly, and haue kep∣te me a wynebery of the grapes, and a plan¦te from amonge many generacions. Let the multitude perish thē, which are growne vp in vayne, and let my grape & wynebery be kepte: euen my plante: for with greate labou¦re haue I made it vp.

Neuertheles yf thou wilt take vpon the yet seuen dayes mo (but thou shalt not fast in them) go thy waye then in to y^e felde of flou¦res, where no house is buylded, and eate one¦ly of the floures of the felde, taist not flesh, drinke no wine, but eate floures onely. Praye vnto the Hyest contynually, so will I come, and talke with the.

So I wente my waye and came in to the [ D] felde which is called Ardath (like as he com¦maunded me) and there I sat amonge y^e flou¦res, and ate of the herbes of the felde, and y^e meate of the same satisfied me. After seuen dayes I sat vpon the grasse, & my hert was vexed within me like as afore: and I opened my mouth, and beganne to talke before the Hyest, and saide: O LORDE, thou y^t shewest thy self vnto vs,* 1.2 thou hast declared and ope∣ned thy self vnto oure fathers in the wylder¦nes, in a place where no man dwelleth, in a baren place, whan they came out of Egip∣te, and thou spakest, sayēge: Heare me O Is∣rael, and marke my wordes thou sede of Ia∣cob. Beholde, I sowe my lawe in you, and it shal brynge frute in you, & ye shalbe honou∣red in it for euer. For oure fathers which re∣ceaued the lawe, kepte it not, and obserued not thy ordinaunces and statutes, & the fru∣te of y^e lawe was not declared: for it might not, for why? it was thine. For they that re∣ceaued it, perished,* 1.3 because they kepte not y^e thinge that was sowne in them.

It is a custome whan the grounde recea¦ueth [ E] sede, or the see a shipp, or a vessell meate

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and drynke, that, whan it perisheth or is bro¦ken wherin a thinge is sowne, or wherin eny thinge is put: the thinges also perishe & are broken, which are sowne or putt therin. But vnto vs it hath not happened so: for we y^t haue receaued the lawe, perish in synne, and oure hert also which receaued the lawe: not¦withstondinge the lawe perisheth not,* 1.4 but remayneth in his laboure.

And whan I considered these thinges in my hert after this maner, I loked aboute me with myne eyes,* 1.5 and vpon the right syde I sawe a woman, which mourned sore, made greate lamentacion, and wepte with loude voyce: hir clothes were rent in peces, & she had aszshes vpon hir heade.

[ F] Thē let I my thoughtes go, y^t I was in, & turned me vnto her, & sayde: wherfore we∣pest thou? why art thou so sory & discomfor¦ted? And she sayde vnto me: Syr, let me be∣wayle myself & take yet more sorowe: for I am sore vexed in my mynde, & brought very lowe. And I saide vnto her: what ayleth y^t? Or who hath done eny thinge to y^e? tell me. She sayde: I haue bene vnfrutefull and ba∣ren, and haue had an huszband thirtie yea∣res. And these xxx. yeares I do nothinge els daye and night and all houres, but make my prayer to y^e Hyest. After thirtie yeares God herde me thy handmayden, loked vpon my misery, considred my trouble, and gaue me a sonne, and I was glad of him, so was my huszbād also and all my neghbours, and we gaue greate honoure vnto y^e Mightie. And I norished him with greate trauayle. So whan he grewe vp, & came to the tyme, that he shulde haue a wife, I made a feast.